


Paradise by the Dashboard Light

by InStiches



Series: Razor's Edge [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 16:15:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15028385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InStiches/pseuds/InStiches
Summary: Keith has worked hard not the deck Iverson for burying the Kerberos mission and Shiro along with it. After all, he needs the Garrison's space craft to search for the one person who believed in him when he needed it. Even if he has to fight through an intergalactic war in the process.But it all catches up with him sometimes. Leaves him restless.Enter a boy.





	Paradise by the Dashboard Light

 

 

 

_It never felt so good, it never felt so right_   
_And we were glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife._

 

 

 

 

Keith doesn’t come to places like this, tending to avoid the crush of people that comes with any bar near a military base. He can only stay in the barracks staring at the ceiling of his room for so long though before his restless body and mind drive him to either the on base gym or to a bar. Usually he goes to the gym and works himself to exhaustion. 

Tonight, he needs a drink.

Life has never been a walk in the park for Keith, but the war has given more than enough new reasons for sleep to escape him. The Galra had made it violently clear humanity was not alone in the universe and the possibility that Shiro is still out there, in their grasp... Alternating between staring at the alcohol in his glass and watching the people in the bar is better than letting his nightmares tear him apart. 

__  
  


This bar isn’t really to Keith’s taste, but it was the least populated. The dim red lighting makes everything hazy when combined with the mirror paneled walls. It’s enough to give Keith a headache. The alcohol helps. So does sitting down. Keith claims a booth in the back for himself and settles in. Every once and awhile someone comes by to either try to sit with him or pull him out into the crowd, but eventually the bar’s other occupants start to leave him alone. He stays like that for an uncounted amount of time, secluded in his tucked away booth. Occasionally, he’ll lift his drink to his lips, but for the most part he sits in the crowded bar in his own silence. He’s almost ready to down the rest of his current drink and leave when someone calls his name.

“Keith? Keith Kogane? Of course. I’d know that hair anywhere.” 

Startled, he looks up. The man who addressed him is vaguely familiar, about his age. Tall and lean with an attractive face, the man looks almost bemused to find Keith here. Keith hasn’t looked at a clock but he knows he’s been here for at least a couple of hours. If he’s surprised to see him, this man had to have arrived recently.

“Jeez,” the man says, dragging a hand through his dark brown hair. “ I haven’t seen you since we were in classes together. Gotta tell you, this doesn’t seem like your kinda place.” 

“It’s not,” Keith agrees, and leaves it at that. He squints in the bar’s dim lighting, trying to place his companion. He finds himself distracted by the warm, tawny skin exposed by the open collar of the man’s dress shirt. Keith is half tempted to give his drink a dark glare. His companion looks awkward for a second before making up his mind.

“Do you want some company?” he gestures to the other side of the booth. Keith shrugs.

“If you tell me your name,” he says, giving up and letting his eyes trail down the man’s torso, admiring the way his white dress shirt clings to his slim build. He motions to the space right next to him in the booth, watching intently as the man’s face darkens slightly in a blush. It’s been a long time since Keith has been attracted to anyone, but tonight, with this near stranger, he is and he’s just relaxed enough to do something about it. A pleased warmth curls in his gut when his companion slides in and against Keith’s side. 

“The names’ Lance. Lance McClain.” It’s almost said into Keith’s ear. Lance gives a low, throaty chuckle that makes Keith feel even warmer. “I’m a cargo pilot, but I used to chase after you pretty relentlessly when we were in class together. Wanted so bad to be a fighter pilot,” Lance shakes his head, “but I could never catch up. I’m not surprised you don’t remember me.” 

“But you remembered me,” Keith murmurs. Pressing close, letting his lip brush the shell of Lances ear. “I like that,” he says, smirking when Lance shivers and pulls back to meet Keith’s gaze. Lance’s eyes, intent and sincere, are probably a shade of blue, but here in the low light they’re almost black. 

“How could I not? I’ve seen you fly.” 

Keith kisses him. 

Lance makes a startled sound but kisses back, mouth falling open in a gasp when Keith presses closer and runs his tongue over the other man’s bottom lip. 

After the disastrous Kerberos mission and the sudden loss of Shiro, Keith had come dangerously close to being expelled from the Garrison. In the end though he’d bit it back. Being kicked out of the one place that might lead him to the answers and the  _ revenge _ he needed wouldn’t have gotten him anywhere. Keith had worked for a long time to curb his impulsive nature.

But today his impulsiveness was working in his favor. 

Keith smiles into the hinge of Lance’s jaw when they finally break away. He places a kiss there, smiling wider when he hears Lance’s already gasping breaths hitch. Someone wolf whistles. Keith flips them off over Lance’s shoulder. The whistler laughs. Breathlessly, Lance does to. Keith can feel it thrum against his lips.

Thin fingers reach up to tangle in Keith’s hair, tugging slightly to tilt him up and away. Keith hums at the pull. He’s unreasonably pleased when he looks up and sees how ruffled Lance is; lips reddened from kissing, hair wild from Keith’s hands. Helplessly, Keith leans in for another kiss, then another, then another. Lance moans under him. It’s Lance that pulls away for breath this time. 

“God, Keith,” Lance pants, but doesn’t say anything else. He looks almost surprised, amazed. It feeds Keith’s impulsiveness. 

“You said you wanted to be a fighter pilot,” Keith says, thumbing the corner of Lance’s mouth. “Do you want to be in the pilot seat?” Lance laughs again, bright and startled. A smirk ticks up on that mouth and Lance’s brow quirks.

“Are you asking me to get in your cockpit, Kogane?” 

“Maybe not anymore,” Keith wrinkles his nose. Lance tucks himself even closer, chuckling against Keith’s ear. Despite his words, Keith lets his hand thread into the brown hair at the nape of Lance’s neck. 

“Once I get in your cockpit, do you mind if I eject?” 

Keith groans. He gives the hair between his fingers a punishing tug, pulling Lance away from his ear. The other man dissolves into what Keith might have called giggles if the two of them weren’t grown men. He can’t fight the smile though that pulls on the edges of his lips. Lance meets that smile. Keith presses his to Lance’s, this kiss almost sweet compared to the hungry ones of before. 

“Let's get out of here,” Keith says, pushing Lance back and nudging him out of the booth. Lance goes easy, though he stumbles backward a little as Keith follows. 

“Where are we going?” Lance asks. They both ignore the wolf whistling and cheers sent their way. Keith takes Lance’s wrist, pulling him toward the exit. 

“My cockpit. Where else?”

Lance twists his wrist in Keith’s grip to fold their fingers together.

“Lead the way then, Pilot,” Lance says, right at Keith’s heels. He almost collides with him when they weave their way out of the bar and into the parking lot, coming to an abrupt stop at Keith’s hoverbike. It’s Lance’s turn to whistle as he runs his free hand over the cherry red finish. Keith feels absurdly proud at Lance’s blatant appreciation. 

“I’ve always wanted one of these,” Lance says. “Haven't really been able to justify it though when I’m usually in space, transporting things to the front. War just doesn’t seem the time for indulgence, you know?” 

“Not really,” Keith replies. “ We could die tomorrow. Any mission could lead to disaster for either me or you. Seems to me like the best time for it.” Lance is washed out by the parking lot lights, but that doesn’t change the intensity of his eyes when he turns from the bike to look at Keith. Lance squeezes Keith’s hand once before letting go. Keith catches him before he can fully pull away, digging out the key fob to the bike and tucking Lance’s fingers around it. Lance doesn’t look away from him once. 

“I didn’t go to a bar to drink water,” Keith answers the question in Lance’s dark eyes. “It’s probably for the best if you drive.” 

“If you’re...” Lance’s hesitates.

“If I was that drunk,” Keith cuts him off, already ahead of him. “We wouldn’t have made it out of the bar.” Lance flushes.

“Right at the table, Kogane?” he rallies. “Drunk you must be quite the exhibitionist.” 

“It’s not the alcohol that makes me an exhibitionist,” Keith says, enjoying the answering flash of heat in Lance’s expression. “Get on the bike, McClain.” 

“Yes, Sir,” Lance purrs, turning away to swing a long leg over the hoverbike. Keith takes a moment to admire Lance straddled over the leather seat before he follows, pressing tight and close to Lance’s back. The hoverbike hums beneath them as Lance starts the engine. 

“You’ll have to tell me where we’re going,” Lance says, pulling out of the parking spot. 

“I don’t mind telling you what to do,” Keith teases, winding his arms around Lance’s waist and pressing himself even closer. “ Head back to base.”  

The ride is quiet from there. Lance drives beautifully, responsive to the road and the bike. It makes Keith wonder what he’s like in the pilot seat and, more heatedly, what he’s like in bed. Excitement thrums through his veins at the thought. It keeps him warm even as the cool, night air whips around them. 

__  
  


 

 

 

_Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night  
Paradise by the dashboard light_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This series is in no way in order. This one takes place way before the first. It seemed to work better that way.


End file.
